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19-03-2012, 06:17
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This time we're looking at the other T & J Bernard beers for which I have analyses. Sadly, a rather small group. Still worth a glance, though.


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I should be thankful to Whitbread. And their desire to keep a close on competitors in certain key categories for the company. They were still heavily involved in the Stout trade and, as sales of older types waned, they threw their weight behind the new darling of the Porter world, Milk Stout. Half of the Stout analyses below were taken from the Whitbread Gravity Book.

Looking at this set, I've realised something. That while Scottish brewers were renowned for their Strong Ales, they didn't make Stouts of any great strength. The strongest I've found so far was 1078º. That's barely a Double Stout by London standards. There were plenty of London Stouts that were 1090º and above.

The strongest of Bernard's Stout, the Imperial Stout wasn't really all that Imperial. At the same time, the early 1920's, Barclay Perkins base-level draught Stout had nearly the same gravity: 1054º to Bernard's Imperial and 1057º. And that Double Brown Stout at 1035º? Well that's just taking the piss. How strong was the Single Stout?

Bizarrely, the most highly-attenuated of the Stouts is Milk Stout. I thought that was supposed to be sweet? You have to wonder how much - if any - lactose it contained with an FG as low as 1013.6º. Maybe, like the many oatmeal Stouts contained bugger all oats, there was a token amount of lactose thrown in to justify the name.

The Strong Ales look very typical. This is the type of beer that outside Scotland was called Scotch Ale. The stronger, Younger's No. 1 style. 7 - 8% ABV, dark brown and sweet. I know Bernard's was sweet. Because there's a note on the flavour in the Usher's Gravity Book entry for the 1929 version: "Pleasant. Very sweet." That's a real compliment compared to the comments made on most of the other beers analysed. There's barely a good word said. The beers marketed as Scotch Ale in Belgium are probably the closest match you'll find today.

Finally there's that weedy Brown Ale. Which is about 10º weaker than a typical Brown Ale of the 1930's. It looks more like one from the austerity years of the 1940's. It, too, is surprisingly highly attenuated.

I'll finish with the table. Let me know if you can spot anything I've missed. I'm only human.




T & J Bernard other beers 1923 - 1958


Year
Beer
Style
Price
size
package
Acidity
FG
OG
colour
ABV
App. Attenuation


1923
Imperial Stout
Stout

pint
bottled

1023.5
1057.6
366
4.40
59.21%


1932
Double Brown Stout
Stout

pint
bottled

1009.5
1035.5

3.37
73.24%


1938
Milk Stout
Stout
4.5d
half pint
bottled
0.07
1013.6
1057
1/16" cell 1 red 17 brown
5.65
76.14%


1949
Export Stout
Stout

pint
bottled

1010
1040

3.89
75.00%


1954
Export Stout
Stout
1/2d
half pint
bottled
0.04
1013.3
1043.9
1 + 14
3.96
69.70%


1958
Export Stout
Stout
26d
16 oz
can
0.05
1014.7
1046.4
225
3.96
68.32%


1926
Strong Ale
Strong Ale

pint
bottled

1020
1080
100
7.84
75.00%


1928
Strong Ale
Strong Ale

pint
bottled

1030
1083
100
6.87
63.86%


1929
Strong Ale (carbonated)
Strong Ale

pint
bottled

1027
1086
13 - 14
7.68
68.60%


1931
Brown Ale
Brown Ale

pint
bottled

1008
1031

2.98
74.19%


Sources:


Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/001


Whitbread Gravity book held at the London Metropolitan Archives, document number LMA/4453/D/02/002


Younger, Wm. & Co Gravity Book document WY/6/1/1/19 held at the Scottish Brewing Archive


Thomas Usher Gravity Book document TU/6/11



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